J’accuse!
Atlanta, GA
2018, Senior, Poetry & Spoken Word
i. australia
the explosion of carmine, salmon, and chartreuse
lost with the pass of time
from weaving green to jarring white
royal amethyst to bone,
the systematic plague of blistering heat
scorch the dancing polyps
expelled arrays of algae taint the ocean blue
never to return back to former glory
lost to the oppressor, fish swim aimlessly
homes forever destroyed, bleached to the core
forever changed
ii. canada
changes of scenery, white to blue
the ice kingdom falls to the northern sea
polar bears lost to the eternal abyss
nowhere to go they stay, stagnate
clawing, thrashing they call for food
only to be met by unforgiving waves
hungry children silently awaiting a meal
never to come
years shaved off
thousands perish into nothing
a species, gone
warm waters, a demon in disguise
iii. japan
invaders from the deep, pulsing with life,
replace absent nets of fish with gelatinous beings
heaps of jellyfish strangled in the wake of fishing boats,
warning signs of warming temperatures
kilos of natives killed with electrified swords
the wakasa bay lies awake
intruders following the kuroshio current
pillage the homes of others; the impending doom of foreigners
lost without a home to return
cripple the population
a loss of diversity
iv. california, united states
deadly change to the eyes of all
cut down scores of life
the invisible killer, surrounding all
shells of animals, gone
predator detection, gone
essential organisms, gone
strike all, none left behind
the targets, too slow to react
v. east oman
sickening, suffocating, spreading
patches on the gulf as big as mexico
swarm with green and red tides, notorious dead zones
sunlight, blocked; oxygen, depleted
blistering lungs, choked gills
climb up the food chain
from shellfish, domoic acid claws
to sharks, whales, the brains of birds
the human skull the final target
forgotten to the numerous changes,
begone the precious things of the sea.
Bibliography:
“Algae Bloom the Size of MEXICO Appears in Arabian Sea.” Daily Mail Online, Associated Newspapers, 15 Mar. 2017, www.dailymail.co.uk/sciencetech/article-4315270/Growing-algae-bloom-Arabian-Sea-tied-climate-change.html.
Bennett, Jennifer, et al. “Ocean Acidification.” Ocean Portal | Smithsonian, Smithsonian’s National Museum of Natural History, 14 May 2018, http://ocean.si.edu/ocean-life/invertebrates/ocean-acidification.
“Great Barrier Reef Suffers through Record-Breaking Bleaching Event | NOAA Climate.gov.” Global Warming Frequently Asked Questions | NOAA Climate.gov, 6 May 2016, www.climate.gov/news-features/event-tracker/great-barrier-reef-suffers-through-record-breaking-bleaching-event.
“Warming Waters Linked to Giant Jellyfish Outbreaks, Sea of Japan | Global Warming Effects.” Climate Hot Map, Union of Concerned Scientists, www.climatehotmap.org/global-warming-locations/sea-of-japan.html
Reflection
Reflection
Mother of all life on Earth, the ocean is critical for the health of the planet. “J'accuse!” details the adverse effects of climate change on various coastal regions, covering a trip to multiple continents. By doing so, it encompasses the enormity of the situation and provides insight into contrasting consequences of warming temperatures. Starting with Australia, it focuses on coral bleaching and its relationship with the loss of coastal habitats. The use of colors symbolizes the original pristine and beauty of the marine environment, lost to a bleak white. In Canada, specifically the province of Nunavut, melting ice caps harm polar bears. With a darker tone to address triviality, “J'accuse!” shows that an entire species can be affected if left unchecked. Next is Japan, focused on the negative impacts of eutrophication on the jellyfish population boom, which then forcibly removes native fish. Then jumping across the globe to California, the poem focuses on the inability of the marine life to evolve quickly enough in response to ocean acidification. Finally, back to Asia, on the coast of East Oman, toxic algal blooms lead to bioaccumulation of domoic acid, hazardous to both fish and humans. The title “J'accuse” uses the first letter of each of the regions visited to spell out the iconic French word, J’ ACCUSE, used by writer Emile Zola. Thus, we accuse the public for not addressing these pressing issues with full effort.